International Mineralogical Association
The International Mineralogical Association has established the following requirements for a substance to be considered a distinct mineral:
1. It must

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A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids. Some rocks, such as limestone or quartzite, are composed primarily of one mineral –

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The first known use of the word "mineral" in the English language (Middle English) was the 15th century. The word came from

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The abundance and diversity of minerals is controlled directly by their chemistry, in turn dependent on elemental abundances in the Earth. The majority of minerals observed are derived from the Earth's crust. Eight elements account for most of the key components of

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Earliest classifications
In 315 BCE, Theophrastuspresented his classification of minerals in his treatise On Stones. His classification

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It has been suggested that biominerals could be important indicators of extraterrestrial life and thus could play an important role in the search for past or present

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Classifying minerals ranges from simple to difficult. A mineral can be identified by several physical properties, some of them being sufficient for full identification without equivocation. In

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